Former Pro Bowl defensive tackle and Eagles franchise player Corey Simon has a chance to move a short drive down I-95 if he so chooses.

FOXSports.com has learned that the Ravens and Eagles have recently discussed a deal that would send former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Corey Simon to the Ravens in exchange for second and third-round draft picks over the next two years. There is, however, a huge holdup as the deal is contingent upon the Ravens working out a contract extension with Simon — no small feat. In order for the trade to happen, the Ravens have to come an agreement with Simon within the next day or two, as both teams do not want this situation to linger for weeks.

Simon's agent has talked to Baltimore recently and wants a deal on par with some of the top pass rushing defensive linemen in the NFL. If the Ravens cannot agree to terms with Simon and the deal fails to happen, the Eagles are content to have Simon play this season at his franchise number of $5.13 million. However, a deal would be beneficial to both sides.

Philadelphia has been contacted by several teams regarding Simon but the Ravens' offer seems to be the most realistic option at this point.

While several sources close to the situation confirmed the talks, Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome denied that any deal is in place.

Simon was tabbed as the Eagles' franchise player this off-season to prevent him from bolting via free agency. If the deal goes down, then Philly will have an astounding 14 picks in this year's draft including six on the first day.

If the deal gets done and the Ravens add Simon, Baltimore would have Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Chris McAlister and possibly Deion Sanders as former first-round picks bolstering the defensive side of the ball.

The Ravens are likely switching to a 4-3 scheme and by putting him next to nose tackle Kelly Gregg — perhaps the league's most underrated defender — it would give Baltimore an upgrade at the position.

__________________
Fire It Up, Let the engines roll, It's time to burn it down

Eagle fan here. The Eagles have been trying to resign Simon for two years. His agent has turned down all offers. I think the Eagles tagged Simon to trade him before the draft, knowing there is no chance of him resigning. So it comes down to get something for him this year, or let him walk and get nothing but a comp pick next year. Also save the 5 mill and use it to get M. Lewis or Westbrook signed long term. Simon is a good,not great DT. Came in out of shape and played poorly the first half of last season.
As far as the deal, I like it a lot. Three picks in the second and the Eagles first gets them up into DJ land if they want to go that way, or a second this year for a first next year is possible.

Not too bad of a deal for both teams. Philly gets 2 first day picks for someone they were going to lose next season and the Ravens get a top tier DT to solidify their defensive line. I don't think it was any secret that the Ravens wanted to upgrade at the DT position and there is no one in the draft where would have picked that is of the same caliber as Simon.

For a while yesterday, Corey Simon seemed headed to Baltimore. But by the time the story broke, the deal had already broken down, a league source said last night.

FoxSports.com reported yesterday afternoon that the Eagles and the Ravens were talking about a trade that would exchange the Eagles' franchise-tagged defensive tackle for a second- and a third-round pick, over the next two drafts. Simon then confirmed to Comcast SportsNet that "there's been some conversation," though later in the evening, he told the Daily News: "There is nothing between the Ravens and I at this point in time."

Actually, the league source said, the Ravens called the Eagles on Friday, asking whether the Birds were interested in discussing a deal for Simon that would cost Baltimore less than the two No. 1 draft picks a team must surrender for signing a franchised unrestricted free agent, assuming the Ravens could reach agreement on a contract with agent Roosevelt Barnes. The Eagles said they would be interested; they must have been satisfied with the compensation the Ravens were offering, because they gave Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome permission to talk to Barnes.

But the source said that Newsome called the Eagles yesterday afternoon and told them to forget it, that Barnes' salary requirements were too high - though Newsome is said to have a strong relationship with the agent, a factor that might have helped spur the Ravens' interest.

Neither Barnes nor Newsome could be reached for comment last night. Newsome told the Baltimore Sun that the Ravens, who are switching from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3, are "always looking to upgrade the quality of our football team."

Eagles president Joe Banner declined to comment.

For Eagles fans, there are at least a couple of interesting nuggets to be mined from the apparent nontrade. One is the knowledge that the Birds seem willing to deal Simon for less than the prohibitive franchise-player compensation, which could lead to a trade with some other team at some other point. Then there is the fact that Simon clearly is not much happier with the franchise tag than he was with last season's contract impasse. You might recall that he sat out minicamp, showed up out of shape for training camp, and got off to an extremely slow, injury-plagued start before rounding into form down the stretch. Simon notched just half a sack in the first 10 games, before getting four the next 2 weeks and ultimately finishing the season with 5 ½.

When the Eagles moved to franchise Simon in February - meaning he was tendered a 1-year, $5.13 million deal that reflects the average of the top five defensive-tackle contracts in the NFL - the implication was that both sides knew this was coming, and that they'd agreed to disagree for now on Simon's value in a long-term deal. But Simon still hasn't signed the 1-year tender.

"I haven't signed the tender; I don't have a contract. Until I do, what happens happens," Simon said last night. "Right now, I'm still an Eagle. I love playing here."

Simon made it clear that he is still seeking a long-term deal and doesn't relish the idea of risking a career-altering injury without the compensation of a large signing bonus.

Simon said he discussed the situation recently with Eagles coach and general manager Andy Reid. Simon said he and Reid "have a great relationship as men and as coach and player." But Simon acknowledged the Eagles have shown no interest in making a long-term offer since Simon and Barnes turned down a deal during the 2003 season that the team said would have compensated Simon in the same range as the 5-year, $34 million deal the Buccaneers gave DT Anthony McFarland. During that season, the Panthers extended another top DT, Kris Jenkins, for 5 years at a reported $31 million.

The Eagles franchised Simon, because pass-rushing defensive tackles are a fairly scarce commodity, and they had an investment to protect, having used the sixth selection of the 2000 draft to get him. But Simon's appraisal of his worth still seems far greater than the team's assessment.